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In his analysis of Manchester United’s recent 3-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, Sky Sports pundit and former Red Devils defender Gary Neville slammed his former club’s current midfield contingent. Neville stated that ‘not one of them can pass a ball’, in reference to the United midfield’s inability to maintain possession throughout the match.

Much has changed at Old Trafford since that humiliation at Anfield, of course. Not least, Jose Mourinho has been sacked, and replaced in the hot seat by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, on a caretaker basis.

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The new boss’ reign got off to a fine start with a 5-1 trouncing of Cardiff City. However, Neville’s criticisms ought not to be dismissed out of hand at this point. Compared with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea - who United should be measuring themselves against - the Red Devils’ current midfield contingent is much poorer on the ball.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, United should be targeting a new midfielder able to dominate possession and reliably distribute the ball.

We’ve taken a look at the stats, and identified some of the most reliable passing midfielders currently plying their trade in Europe, who Manchester United could pursue in the winter window.

The biggest name on this list, former World Cup winner and four-time Champions League winner Toni Kroos is widely considered one of the finest midfielders in the game. The 28-year-old has amassed 91 caps for Germany and currently plies his trade for Real Madrid.

However, he may now be ready to move on from the Bernabeu. Following Zinedine Zidane’s departure, the Spanish giants have struggled, and Kroos could be tempted away from the club at this time.

So far this season, the No. 8 has racked up a pass accuracy rating of 93.9% - the best of any central midfielder in Europe to have made at least ten appearances.

Another highly respected, top class midfielder, Thiago Alcantara has represented German giants Bayern Munich since 2013. His silverware-laden career began with Barcelona, where he developed his passing style under then-manager Pep Guardiola.

The 27-year-old would add plenty of calmness and control to United’s midfield. His defensive diligence would also lend the Red Devils’ rearguard with a much-needed extra layer of protection too.

So far this season, the 31-cap Spain international has registered a pass accuracy rating of 91.2%.

As a potentially far more affordable option, Napoli midfielder Amadou Diawara represents something of a gamble. The 21-year-old is exceptionally talented and hard-working, but whether he’s ready to take on such a great deal of responsibility in the middle of the park for United remains to be seen.

What is clear, though, is that the Guinean is excellent on the ball. Whilst his game still needs to improve in other areas, Diawara can always be relied upon to look after possession for his team.

So far this season, Diawara has recorded a pass accuracy rating of 93.3%.

Adrien Rabiot is certainly available, as it has been confirmed that the midfielder will not be signing a new contract with current club PSG. Unless he moves on in January, the 23-year-old will become a free agent at the end of this season.

The Parisian outfit will be keen to cash in on the 6-cap France international, and plenty of clubs will be interested in taking on the talented midfielder. Old Trafford should also represent an attractive destination for Rabiot, as United are a huge club, who could offer him regular game time and a wage packet up there with what PSG offer.

So far this season, Rabiot has produced a pass accuracy rating of 93.1%.

Miralem Pjanic has improved constantly year-on-year for the better part of the last decade. Now, the 28-year-old must be considered amongst the finest midfielders in the world.

Currently a star turn in Juventus’ midfield, Pjanic’s career has previously taken in spells with Metz, Lyon and Roma. To date, he has won the Italian top flight twice and he has been included in the Serie A team of the season on three occasions.

Landing the 83-cap Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder would be a major coup for Solskjaer’s side, but Pjanic would be a good fit at Old Trafford and the English club have the financial firepower to bring him to the Premier League.

So far this season, Pjanic has registered a pass completion rating of 91.7%.